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Joomla\!Application · Joomla

CVE-2026-48898

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.4.6 / 6.1.1 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
An improper access check allows privilege escalation through the com_users batch task.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

This is an authorization bypass vulnerability in the com_users component's batch operation functionality, likely in Joomla! CMS. The improper access check allows a low-privileged user to escalate privileges by exploiting the batch task mechanism to perform actions beyond their authorization level.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patch for this access control flaw in the com_users component. Restrict access to batch user operations to only users with appropriate administrative privileges until the patch is applied.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Joomla\!Application
Affected:>= 4.0.0, < 5.4.6>= 6.0.0, < 6.1.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Joomla version
    Check the file 'libraries/src/Version.php' or access the administrator dashboard. In the file, look for the 'RELEASE' and 'DEV_LEVEL' constants under the 'Version' class to determine the exact version number.
    Affected if The installed version falls within >= 4.0.0, < 5.4.6 OR >= 6.0.0, < 6.1.1
  2. Confirm com_users component is accessible
    Verify the /administrator/index.php?option=com_users endpoint is reachable and the component is installed by checking if the directory 'components/com_users' exists in the Joomla installation.
    Affected if The com_users component is present and enabled in the Joomla installation
  3. Check batch user functionality exposure
    Navigate to the Users component in the admin panel, select multiple users using checkboxes, and observe if batch operation options (such as 'Batch', 'Delete', 'Reset Password') appear in the toolbar. Alternatively, inspect the form action in components/com_users/src/View/Users/tmpl/default.php for batch task handling.
    Affected if Batch task buttons or forms are visible and accessible to users with low-privilege levels (such as Manager or Registered)
  4. Audit user permission levels
    Access the Global Configuration or specific user group permissions at /administrator/index.php?option=com_config&view=component&component=com_users. Examine whether the 'Batch' task permission is assigned to low-privilege groups.
    Affected if User groups below Administrator (e.g., Manager, Editor, Author, Registered) have permission to execute batch operations on other users

You are affected if your Joomla version is 4.0.0 through 5.4.5 or 6.0.0 through 6.1.0, AND the com_users batch functionality is accessible to users without Administrator-level permissions.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.4.6 / 6.1.1 or later
Fixed in 5.4.66.1.1
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patch for this access control flaw in the com_users component. Restrict access to batch user operations to only users with appropriate administrative privileges until the patch is applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Joomla! 5.4.6 or later for the 5.x branch, or Joomla! 6.1.1 or later for the 6.x branch

  1. 1. Back up your Joomla! database and files before performing any upgrade.
  2. 2. Review the Joomla! 5.4.6 or 6.1.1 release notes at developer.joomla.org for any specific upgrade requirements.
  3. 3. Download the appropriate Joomla! package for your current major version from the official Joomla! downloads page.
  4. 4. Extract the upgrade package to your web server, replacing existing files while preserving your configuration.php and any custom files.
  5. 5. Run the database migration script by accessing your site URL, which will automatically trigger the update process.
  6. 6. Clear all Joomla! caches through the administrator dashboard.
  7. 7. Verify that the upgrade was successful by logging into the administrator panel and checking the version information.
  8. 8. Test user management functionality to confirm the access control fix is working correctly.
Caveat Review release notes for breaking changes between your current version and the target version; major version jumps may require compatibility checks for third-party extensions

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Joomla\! Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-48898 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data